‘Explori-dating’ is the trend making dating fun again (without the endless swiping)

Written by Lauren Geall

As Stylist’s digital writer, Lauren Geall writes on topics including mental health, wellbeing and women’s issues. She’s also a big fan of houseplants and likes to dabble in film and TV from time-to-time. You can find her on Twitter at @laurenjanegeall.

Get ready for a dating adventure with the latest trend, explori-dating.

Name: explori-dating

Meaning: dating, but with an adventurous twist. Instead of sticking to what you know – aka your ‘type’ – explori-dating is all about being flexible with that definition and working out what you really like along the way. Kind of fun, right?

Origin: explori-dating first became a thing at the end of 2021, when Bumble named it as one of its top trends for 2022. According to the dating app, the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns made almost half of us (48%) question what our type was (watching Paul Mescal in Normal People was a lot to take in, after all), leaving more people up for dating in an exploratory way. Almost a year later, that adventurous streak has only become more prevalent, with the dating platform Seeking.com recently naming ‘untyping’ – aka going out of your way to date someone who isn’t your type to address what was missing from your old relationship – as one of its emerging trends. 

So, does this mean that the idea of having a ‘type’ is officially… uncool? Less uncool, more slightly irrelevant – at least in the world of explori-dating. We all have specific things we’re attracted to in a person, but explori-dating is about being open to discovering things you might not even know you’re attracted to. And before you ask, I’m not talking about some deep, dark fetishes.

What are you talking about, then? Personality traits! Interests! Opinions! Vibes!

I see… so how do you go about explori-dating, then? There’s no designated way to explori-date – but a good place to start is by identifying any judgments you’re making as you scroll through your dating app of choice and trying to challenge them. Are you writing someone off just because of their hairstyle or job title?

But what if I’m not a fan of people who work in journalism? Rude. 

It was just an example! It felt pointed.

That’s your opinion. But surely it’s OK to have things that you don’t like? Of course – there’s no need to say yes to every single person who comes up on your dating app. After all, we all have people we’re not suited to, and you don’t want to ignore potential red flags in the name of adventure. Explori-dating should be a positive experience that helps you to uncover what you’re really looking for – not something that makes you want to give up dating altogether.

I reach that point on a daily basis. I know – but now you’ve got explori-dating to try!

Wow – how lucky I am. That’s enough sarcasm for today. 

Image: Getty

Source: Read Full Article